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Irginim Woodward Clou^ 

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CQEmiGHT DSP0B1& 



From an Old Garden 

By Virginia Woodward Cloud 



The Norman, Remington Co. 
Baltimore 



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Copyrighted, 1922, Jy 
^he ^orman, Remington Co. 



"Published December, 1922 



"Printed in the United States of America 

)C1A692578 

DEC 27';:. 



Contents 



IN SPRING 

"One time I wake up early" 

Pussy- Willows 

DafFodils 

Tulips 

Violets . . ♦ . 

Dandelions 

Lilacs . . . . 



IN SUMMER 

Hollihocks 

Honeysuckle 

Mignonette 

The Holly-Tree . 

Heartsease 

Morning Glories 

The Hundred-Leaved Rose 

Sweetbrier 

IN AUTUMN 

"De garden hit's all pupple" 



9 
10 
11 
13 
13 
14 
15 



19 

20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 



29 



In Spring 



One time, I wake up early 

when dat Pecker-Bird come tappin', — 
'Cause he ain' studyin' enny much 

'bout leabin' folks a-nappin', — 
"Howdy!" he say, "Please, ma'am, look out. 

Day's sumpin happenin' all erbout." 

An', honey, hit's des lak I say, 

de garden done got blue en gray; — 
Ain' zackly made hit's mine up when 

ter tu'n in an' begin ergain. — 
Things moves whar nobuddy caint see, 

inside dat Weepin'-Willier tree. 
Things talks whar nobuddy caint heah, — 

a pusson dassent go too neah 
Den, easylike, one mo'nin bright, 

I opens de do'. 

All in er night 
De Spring done come! — 

Dem HI green haids lif up en say, — 
" We-all is heah ter spen' de day. 

Is dere enny buddy home?" 



Pussy-W illows 

Ole Win' don' tech 'em hard en rough, 

But ef you kin git clost enough 

Ter stroke 'em wid yo' finger, — so 

Dey nods en bows, — pleased 'cause you know 

Dat Pussy-Williers — an' dem — 

Is nufiin' 'cep' babies on er stem. 



10 



Daffodils 



Dem bright Daffydillies, 

wid flyin' yaller hayar, 
I knowed dey likeness — 

I ain' sayin' where. 
Eyes made o' April; teahs easy, too, 
Smilin' de nex' minit, at — 

I ain' sayin' who. 

Light gone out f 'om de Big House now. 
Ole Win' creak de shetters, 

en break de white bough . 
But de Daffydils is flyin', 
An' I'll tell you-all dis,— 
Dey teks de paf huh young feet took— 
My Lil Miss. 



11 



Tulips 



Dem Miss Tulipses sho'ly is proud! 

Dey mixes wid deysefs, en not wid de crowd. 

Dress fine in dey silks, dey wait an' dey wait 

In er row longs ide of de garden gate, 

Tel folks come erlong, an' see 'em whar dey 

Stan', 
En say "Raid Tulips! — Now, ain' dey gran'?" 



12 



Violets 

-De lil Vi'let chillun, 

so silump an' so shy, 
Dey smile up des ez pretty, 

no matter who come by, 
Dey steals up f om de medder 

an' huddles neaf mah tree, 
Lak mebby dey's a-waitin' 

fo' a wud f'om me. 

But I leab 'em hab dey haids, 

'less I skeer 'em, dey so still. 
An' dey tiptoes up de lane, 

en roun' de milk-house hill, 
'Tel dey gadders des ez natchul,- 

yas, miss, clar ter de do' I— 
A-lookin' lak dey know I was 

a'spectin' of 'em so. 

But whut dey got ter tell me 

befo' dey go so soon, 
Dee ain' nobuddy 'spicion, 

'less hit's ole Miss Moon — 
An' she ain' sayin' nuffin — Den 

dere comes er night 
Brer Win' talk loud all ter hissef, 

'n dey's went wid de light! 



13 



Dandelions 

Dandy Lion he done come ter town 
Wid 'is gol' all pack in 'is bes' hat crown. 
He settle hissef so steady in de grass. 
He ain' step aside fo' nobuddy ter pass. — 
Acks des lak he owned dis town, — 
Wid 'is gol' all pack in 'is 
bes' 

hat 

crown ! 



14 



Lilacs 



Miss Lady Lilack, she's slim an' white, 
Mos' lak er hant in de dim May night, 
She Stan' at de gate an' she wave huh white 

han'. 
But, dee ain' nobuddy kin onderstan' 
Who she's a-'memberin' an' 

a-wavin' to 
Wid 'er han*s so sweet in de sof* may dew . . , 
I reckon mebby 'taint ter me ner 

ter you 



15 



In Summer 



Hollihocks 

Ole Sis Hollihawk 

Stan' in by de wall, 
In a pjnk party frock 

en a green shawl ; 
She Stan' en she stan', 

but not by enny chance 
Does big Brer Sunflower 

ax'er out ter dance. 
She ain' des sprightly 

en she ain' des sweet. 
But she hoi' huhsef straight, 

en she keep huhsef neat, 
En she seem to be a-sayin' 

to all 'at pass'er by, — 
"Don' you think dat nuffin 

kin erscape my eye!" 

— En it don't. 



19 



Honeysuckle 

Yo'ng Mis' Honeysuckle 

runnin' all erbout, 
Ef you stop by ter see'er 

you'll shorely fine huh out. 
Up en down de lane she go, 

en ober fences, too, — 
Pears lak Mis' Honeysuckle 

ain' enough ter do! 
But sweet ? . . . Ume . . . Ume ! 

Dat sweet she mek you smile 
Des lak you was a-watchin' 

de playfulles' chile. 
When de win' blow thoo de garden 

so sweet am dat air, 
I know 'thout a-lookin' 

Mis' Honeysuckle's dere. 



20 



Mignonette 

Lil Mis' Minnynette, 

settin' in de sun, 
She ain' 'complish nuffin much 

when de day is done; 
But she th'ow huh lil w'ite han's out 

wid sech a pretty grace, 
She's allers gittin' gaddered up 

fo' Ole Mis's vase. 



21 



The Holly-Tree 

Ole Marse Holly-Tree's 

a bad ole man ; 
Seem lak he show 'is spite 

Whenebber he can; 
Wid 'is lil red eyes, 

en 'is th'ee-corner hat, 
En 'is ebbows dey sticks out, — 

'cause he nebber y it growed fat !- 
He got a green satin weskit 

clear ter 'is th'oat, 
En a lil sharp s'wode 

stuck unnerneaf 'is coat, — 
De onies' way ter git erlong 

wid Ole Marse Holly-Tree, 
Is e'der one ter chop 'im down 

or des leab 'im be! 



22 



Heartsease 

Yander Mis' Pansy, 

down in de bo'der, 
She stay right to home 

en keep huh house in order; 
She's allers please ter hab you stop 

en pass de time o' day, 
En mek you feel you's mighty glad 

you come along dat way. 
She ain' one fo' runnin' 'roun' 

dis-away or dat; 
She seem ter say, — "Now, do set down 

an' res' yo' hat!" 



23 



Morning-Glories 

De Mo'nin'-Glo'y ladies, 

dey's de 'ticulares' ob de lot, 
Dey nebber shows dey faces 

when de sun grows hot ; 
Dey got sech nice complexions 

a-washin' wid de dew, — 
Mis' Pink en Mis' W*ite, 

Mis' Pupple en Mis' Blue. 
Dey's pow'ful skeered o' gettin' 

all freckled wid de sun, 
En dey don't hoi' up dey haids 

'tel anudder day's begun; 
But dey allers mines dey manners, 

a-cutsyin' ter you, — 
Mis' Pink en Mis' W'ite, 

Mis' Pupple en Mis' Blue. 



24 



The Hundred-Leaved Rose 

Big Mis' Hunnerd-Leaf, 

kine ob quiet huh way; 
Pink en sweet en des de same, 

day after day; 
She mek all de rose-water 'n 

when de petals fall, 
Ketch' em in a jar, 

en dey's sweetness fo' all. 
Climbin' up de Big House, 

f'om de sullar to de roof, — 
She 'minds me ob Ole Mis' 

Ain' dat de trufe! 



25 



Sweetbrier 

Dat Sweetbr'ar baby's 

de mos' onrulies' chile! 
Losin' huhsef along de stream, 

or in de dus' a mile; 
She's de things I disremember, 

but ma ole heart cain't fo'get, — 
Lak when Fs barefoot milkin', 

en do clober tops was wet. 
She's de ole w'ite rose dat smell so sweet 

* longs ide ma cabin do' 

En de Whip-poor-Wills, down in de woods 

one time befo' de woah 

She's de smile to de eyes, 

en de th'on to de bres', — 
But ob all ma flower chillun 

she's de one I lub de bes' ! 



26 



In Autumn 



-De garden hit's all pupple, 

'scusin' de yaller'n raid, 
Mos' lak dis hank'chief 

I weahs on mah haid. 
De aster an' de gornrod's 

a-troopin' down de hill, 
An' ole Brer Win' ain' lettin' on 

he's feelin' mighty chill! 

But down in de wood's pa'f, 

longside de stream, 
Seem lak I'm a-walkin' inter 

somebuddy's dream. 
Dee ain' no birds a-fiyin' 

ter de raid creeper-vine; 
De trees all hoi' dey brefs,— 

Somebuddy's bu'nin' pine. . . . 

De dusk hit tu'ns gray early, 'n 

mah cannle's soon lit, 
But 'tain' time fo' nuffin 

'cep' ter rock an' ter sit, 
Studyin' on de col' nights, 

when things ain' bloom no mo' 
Den I lights up de fiah, 

an' up'n shets de do' ; 



29 



An' I 'members 'bout a night 

when de Lord done come. 
An' met wid all dem in a 

lil small room 

Ole Win' he sen' de leaves down 

wid a sof , rockin' sweep . . . 
'N I knows de garden's lak we-all 
hit's des 

goin' 

ter sleep ! 



30 



